Matsukyen
by hotepsta
Summary: This is my first Naruto-inspired fan-fiction, called Matsukyen (meaning "Matsuki's saga/tale"), centered around the character Matsuki. The universe of this tale is inspired, but not equal to that of Naruto. There are no R. Sennin or Juubi, and there are things from other sources as well. The setting is a war-thorn world of clans, where struggle and deceive are canon elements.
1. Chapter 01: A Falling Leaf

A great part of Sleepy Oak forest was turned into dry ground just in the small hours of a night, and the evidences of destruction and struggle hinted a fierce battle. Swords were carved on the ground here and there, and dead bodies cursed the land. Two clans battled on that site, and the victorious — the Uchiha clan — set up a campsite to wait for the dawn. Outside, great piles of bodies were on fire, like great torches of pain, as the black ashes flew with the air.

— Matsuki! Quickly, carry this one to the medical tent! — cried a woman of black, smooth hair, bound in the back of a red armor, while she gazed in the dark eyes of a young man, who hastily came her.

— Yes, Izumi-teishu!

— Tell them it is an emergency, he've got serious wounds all over the bones!

— Understood.

The boy ran as fast as he could, carrying on his shoulder the wounded body of one of his own kin. Their eyes crossed once, and, even without words, there was thankfulness on the eyes of the older man. The poor cloth-made entrance was lifted high, as entered the two, and the lad put his relative's body on a ready improvised bed on the floor, as another woman, who was casting a medical ninjutsu on another, quickly got up and walked on to him.

— Matsuki-kun, can you tell how deep is his wounds

— Right, Hakasui-Senpai! — He slightly bowed for her — Izumi-teishu told me he's very wounded in the bones, probably because of the weapon jutsu of clan Kagiya!

— Got it, now I can take it from here on.

The woman then started casting medical ninjutsu on the body, as Matsuki left the tent. Looking around, the corpse fires seemed to him like cries. He could see something that troubled him to the soul. "Where is the honor here?" He thought for a moment, but a shouting of his name couldn't let him find the answer to that question. "Matsuki! come here!", was it, and the young man walked over there, with the eyes down.

— I don't think there's anybody else left, and I think you can go and get some rest, I'll continue the patrol from here.

— Are you sure I am not needed anymore, Izumi?

— Yes, I am, and, after all, you deserve it! — She put her hand over his head for a moment, and turned back on giving some orders to another one.

— Thank you, Izumi! — He spoke as turned back himself, to the sleeping camp.

The bed was set to the ground, and the only light was that of the fires from outside, heating the air, and that of a candle on the corner of the cell, to harden trespassing. As the youngling was about to take of his worn armor and lay on the bed, he noticed a strange movement on the outside, many running and shouting words, between those he could discern "Calling" and "Danger". He hadn't to think twice to run outside himself and see what's happening. Shinobi everywhere, leaving the village in haste in direction to the main battlefield, just west from there. "Matsuki, what are you waiting for? The clan is in dire danger, we must run!" someone said, and the boy followed in a haste. "Father!" he thought, and feared for his safety.

Before he could even notice, he were amid many other Uchiha shinobi together running through the trees, from branch to branch, as the tiny ray of red light far in the horizon gave place to a newborn sun. The captain then stopped and lifted his hand in a signal to wait, and everyone else stopped with him. There were the battlefield, barely distinguishable between the leafs, but the sound of clashing steel and fire from everywhere told that clearly battle there was far from ending. The captain then divided the troop in two groups, pointing the entrance and captain of each, being himself one of them. Matsuki's group entered from the left, right on the side of the Uchiha, to help on defense, while the other entered in the enemy side.

— Reinforcements! Look, they've arrived! — Cried a kinsman, followed by cheers from all over the allied side.

— Fill me with all the information so far — Said the captain to a thin, barely wounded woman shinobi.

— Our troops are mostly over, sir! And Kagiya's numbers only seem to keep the same! Their chakra is almost unending! — answered her.

— We've arrived already, worry not, commander. What about the new move papers?

— Here they are — she took some scrolls from a crate.

The captain then took the scrolls and started to read one of them. His eyebrows closed, and he turned to Matsuki. "Take this to your father, over there — he pointed somewhere far on the battlefield — he must be aware of it", he said. The boy took the scroll and ran in the shown direction. Passing through the clan's improvised barricade, the only view was of death and destruction. Bodies within blood pools all over the ground, with katanas, giant shurikens and all other sort of odd weapons, all threaded on their chests. At the background, behind some hills, the last grasps of fire flew through the last shinobis' hands. "Not the time", he said, looking forth to his pathway, as a quickened hand flew right to his head, but Matsuki's reflexes allowed him to dodge it, revealing a sea-blue armored warrior, who rapidly turned back positions and gazed Matsuki's eyes.

— Today, boy, is not your lucky day! — he screamed, while performing the hand seals of the Ox, the Monkey, the Dragon and the Snake about as quickly as Matsuki had ever seen — Entekkouton: Fuhaka!

The figure then kicked the ground and threw a block of earth at his hands, full of blue chakra, which immediately turned into a dark metal, in the shape of a bite-like kunai edge. "Prepare to face your death!" He put his had down with the jutsu, and ran wildly as he looked into Matsuki's eyes. The latter quickly drew his katana, and counterattacked the enemy, clashing their weapons, when blue and red sparks jumped everywhere. The Kagiya shinobi slightly laughed. "What's this?!" reflected the lad, as the katana melted down right in the middle, quickly followed by Matsuki's dodging jump.

— I see you have not yet your clan's pearl, hah! — laughed him, as Matsuki looked down — And I'm afraid you're not going to have it after all! — Again, he ran to the encounter, but now even wilder than before.

Matsuki got to perform seals as fast as he could, while his foe was about to come and cut off his head. Tiger, Horse, Monkey, Ox and Dog, and by the latter, the shinobi's jutsu was about an inch from his eyes. Dust everywhere, and a great bang was listened by all on the camp. "Matsuki!" shouted the captain at the camp, fearing for the worst. As the dust began to settle down, the shadows of a figure perforated by the hands of another becomes apparent, as the first one falls to the ground. — H-how!? — His throat is cut by the same person who threw it to the ground. Matsuki then get up with sparking, edgy thunder chakra on his right hand, and gaze into the strange, black metal on the hands of the Kagiya-sai, while it breaks into dust. "Kai!" Said him, as the jutsu fades. He looks down, to the corpse of his foe. His hands trembled, and he closed his eyes, lifting his head to look forth, and continued his way through the wastelands.


	2. Chapter 02: Black Steel

"Die, cur!" cried someone to the east, not so far away, and something to the north and west, too: The last few battle points revealed a devastated warfare. Shinobi in groups of 7, 10 or so breathed waves of fire and blades of chakra, killing each other as wildly as the beasts, or so thought Matsuki when he looked at them, with a kunai sheathed and held near to the chest. He continued his way between the hills until a larger noise pointed his target.  
He sneaked from behind two great rocks with a narrow scar between them. "Father!" He murmured, as he saw a heavily black-armored shinobi with a mass of chakra around him hastily attacking him with weapons constantly changing in shape and size. But he couldn't show up that time. It could even make things worse than what they already were. Gazing deeply, the ground was all burned up, and the hills had unnatural holes, suggesting a battle of gigantic proportions. Besides, the way each one chased another in high jumps and Justus had just explained why there weren't anybody else alive fighting together them. At a certain point, after a few minutes, each one stood on the top of two close hills, gazing each other.  
— Your Uchiha pride is surprisingly annoying, Hazumi. But today, it shall end! — He laughed and jumped as quickly as an arrow with a great blue aura around his blackened armor, shaping itself in the form of a spear on his hand. At the same time, the Uchiha did some hand seals quickly.  
— Katon: Houkako no te no Jutsu! — Shouted him, as he filled his chest with air, and winded up a great wave of fire through his mouth in the shape of a punching hand.  
Matsuki's eyes were red with the light, and his fears were only getting worst. "I must help him!" He thought, but fear and sense pushed him back. The Jutsu hit the enemy with precision pushing it to the hill from where he came, as a Curtin of black smoke came just after the exploding fire. The smell of burned earth filled his noses, and he could no longer see anything else. A while later, the wind carried the dust, as it gave place to the vision of a big crater on the earth. "Such power...", he murmured. As Hazumi seemed to fall on his knees for a second to rest, a dark and sinister voice echoed from within the mess: "Entekkouton: Hanatoge no Jutsu!".  
Hazumi's head was lifted only to see many black spikes flowing from the smoke and heading to him. He quickly jumped back and avoided three of them, and the fourth just passed near his head. From behind, the latter spike turned itself into the Kagiya shinobi's body, and he stabbed the man on his back. Both fell to the ground with dust, and all the spikes were gathered back into the armor of the fighter. Matsuki's eyes were like stone, and tears fell like thorns. His heart was fast and in pain, and his whole head, about to explode. But not a word he murmured, not a single sound, but his both hands on his head, and he fell on his knees, as a bomb about to explode. The shinobi got up, and took a katana, looking into Hazumi's eyes. He then cut the man's throat brutally, finishing what he begun early. Blood was spilled on the ground like ink on a scroll.  
A scream echoed on the battlefield, a desperated scream of pain and hate, as the boy jumped high above the stones on his path, and ran in direction of the Shinobi, who slightly looked at him with disdain. Matsuki got nearer, readying a katana, while his foe moved right behind him, faster than his eyes, and, looking back, a heavy, black-armored hand held with strength the neck of the Uchiha, and a smoke streamed while it burned the skin of the younger.  
— Who are you, weakling? — Said the man in a sadistic tone, but there was no response just harsh moves of the boy.  
— You must be that trash's breed. I hope you be the last, so his weakness won't plague this world anymore! — He lifted his hand with a black, long katana ready to slice the boy on two.  
There was a ceremonial move, the katana higher and higher, when it stopped. The man then readied the weapon, and attacked at last, in a speed never seen, but the two were strangely pushed from behind in a great impact. The black armored man shouted in pain, his body above that of Matsuki, who, full of blood, speedily rolled out, getting up. Looking down to the red pool, the body of the shinobi holding three great, black tomoe. But Matsuki couldn't be surprised anymore, so stressed he was, and he ran back to his father's body. "Hazumi-Sama! Answer me please!" He insisted, but all he got was a trade of eyes. "Father!" He screamed, gazing the two eyes of the wounded shinobi — one, blank, the other, all messed up like water wasted on the sand, as if the sharingan of his had lost it's form. The latter pupil got even messier and messier, until it was nothing but a black circle. "Father!" He said once more, now in a whisper amid tears, crying with the eyes of the two still crossing themselves, as the older one closed his, and was finally gone.  
— Matsuki! Get up, now! — Said an older voice after a few moments, but not that of Hazumi. Looking forth, Matsuki beheld the figure of a well-armored one, who he knew very well: His uncle, Horiko.  
— Ho-Horiko-Sama! — He spoke, still crying, as he bowed deeply on his front.  
— I told you already, boy, get up! — He said as Matsuki stood on his foot, and lifted his head slowly, opening his eyes finally to face his superior.  
As Horiko gazed the eyes of the boy, the two black, innocent pupils turned red and a inner circle was formed, and finally one black tomoe showed up, moving in circles until it finally stopped. "So, the boy got the first tomoe... About time it was", He thought.  
— Your father's death wasn't such a waste at all, Matsuki. Now you have the eyes that see the truth. You are nearer to become full — He spoke coldly, waiting for a response, but got none.  
— There is no time to lose, leave the dead where they belong, and let us be back to Kenkaigakure!  
"Understood", said the boy in a low tone, closing his hands and teeth harshly, pulling back the falling tears. Horiko turned back and started walking. Forth, he looked back slightly, on Matsuki's eyes, and then the young shinobi started walking behind him. "Good", he said. Both of them left the battle field heading back to the camp, without any other last look at the bloody scene. Arriving the camp, Horiko mad some sort of signal with his hand. "Right!" said another shinobi, who runned away as if going to deliver some message. Looking around, Matsuki saw everyone staring at him, with few exceptions of others who would conversate something not very loudly, but the silence was disturbing. Not even the battle noises at the background could be heard anymore.  
— This battle is over. The Uchiha have won another time, and our people and our homes are safe once again — Shouted the old man, as in a speech. It was followed by cheers from all, but those seemed not like true cheers.  
— Much was lost, we all know it. But what is lost in battle, is kept in memory! — He said, then — But for those who have fallen today, but should not, the memory lasting is of weakness and sloth, for there is no shame as a won battle with a lost hero.  
On this moment, Matsuki looked at Horiko with deception, a anger he felt never before, and could not countain himself. The boy drew four shuriken from a weapon rack nearby and threw them at the old man. "Shut your mouth, you jealous younger brother!" He screamed, and little time after he was being lifrted from the ground, with the old man on his front, holding him by the neck, just like before.  
— There is, boy, no honor in dying like your father did, as a weak one, for of what I know, what I saw was not the expected level of a General. And you, his son, have no honor anymore, too. But those are not words of mine, those are words of law, for the Uchiha code thusly stated this since ever — The boy tried to free himself, as he was violently thrown on the ground.  
Horiko went back with others following him to the path through Sleepy Oak Forest. Matsuki stayed there, on the ground, the wind carrying forth his tears. But suddenly, a light hand touched his shoulder, and he looked up quickly. Blocking the sun, the sight of a woman with a long, bluish hair smiled with the eyes closed. She was the same kunoichi on the camp before, named Izumi. "We must be back home, the day is setting already", she said. It was strange how words so simple could calm his heart, at least for hour. Helping him get up, the two followed the same path as did the other Uchiha, wordlessly, but with a strange calm between the storm.


End file.
